Bill Murray Will Showcase His Classical Side In An Intriguing (And Arty) New Live Show

Actor, comedian and noted human curiosity Bill Murray has Gershwin, Whitman and more on his mind this summer for a project that seems a smidge more highbrow than Garfield III: Death To Nermal.

In Wednesday’s New York Times it was revealed that Murray is working on an arty sounding new project titled New Worlds. Currently being crafted as an album and live show, New Worlds has Murray tackling a collection of songs and poetry readings that’s paired with chamber music. Cellist Jan Vogler leads the musicans working with Murray, building on a friendship that began in 2013 and has blossomed to the point where we’re chatting about a Bill Murray classical project.

According to NYT, the program “has [Murray] singing Stephen Foster’s “Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair” and songs from “West Side Story,” and reading Whitman and Hemingway while Mr. Vogler’s trio — which includes Mira Wang, his wife, on violin, and Vanessa Perez at the piano — plays Schubert, Bach and Piazzolla.” We’d say it’s not quite your standard Bill Murray project, but considering the man’s unique approach to life, maybe this is.

“When they start playing, the demand is so great that if you are attending to who you are right now, it brings out something that you couldn’t have visualized or planned for,” explained Murray. “You hear all those other voices saying, ‘That didn’t sound like Tony Bennett,’ or, ‘That B flat’s not going to break a light bulb.’ But they’re receding. They’re gone.”

New Worlds is slated to make its live debut on July 20 at Festival Napa Valley with a proper North American tour planned as well. The album is due out in August.